YOKOSUKA, Japan – Twenty-two Sailors from various commands at Commander Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka volunteered as casting crew and production team for a theatrical performance to present Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) training in a non-traditional way to both entertain and inform fellow Sailors during a General Military Training (GMT), April 19.

The performance titled “Sailors Changing Reality and Ending Myths” or SCREAM is an annual production that happens in April to recognize Sexual Assault Awareness month.

The production took real stories and incorporated them into SAPR GMT material without the use of any PowerPoint slides to create an atypical SAPR annual GMT, said play’s director, Chief Mass Communication Specialist Xander Gamble, attached to the Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76).

“I have not only a strong passion for theater, but I also have a strong passion for training,” said Gamble. “So I felt like this combined two of my favorite things. I was able to do non-traditional training in a fun and engaging way.”

Audience members included both enlisted Sailors and commissioned officers from FLEACT Yokosuka.

“I liked how they hit a lot of topics that people don’t want to talk about,” said Operations Specialist 2nd Class Davidsha Tillman, attached to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54). “It brings up a lot of feelings about how the Navy has come so far. I see that they put a lot of hard work into it and they did a good job.”

“It was a lot of hard work for everybody and I think it was just exciting to see the growth from the very beginning into the very end,” said Reinbold.

The SCREAM production is scheduled to continue as an annual GMT.

“The only way that we can keep doing this, having this type of atypical training, is if we get people to come in and commit and volunteer,” said Gamble. “So we want Sailors to come out again next year and come volunteer. Volunteer to be any part of this program so we can keep continuing to grow it, to get that message out there and to do so in the non-traditional manner.”

The Navy’s goal is to eliminate sexual assault by fostering a culture of prevention which includes effective education and training, a 24/7 response capability to ensure victim support, reporting procedures available worldwide, and accountability that enhances the safety and well-being of all.